The Adeje council’s departments of Health and of Social Welfare, with councillors Amada Trujillo Bencomo and Isabel Fernández González respectively, have signed an agreement renewing their commitment to the programme for “integrated care for oncology patients in Adeje”, in partnership with the Spanish cancer association, the AECC.

Both councillors said that the kind of services that the programme can offer are not part of the usual local authority services, so they sought the collaboration of the AECC to be able to provide this kind of assistance programme. Amada Trujillo Bencomo says that thanks to that commitment, “Adeje now has the necessary resources to offer help at psychological, social and health levels, both for those affected directly by cancer as well as their families. This assistance is available from the moment a diagnosis is received through treatment and operations, and, if the cancer leads to a patient death, assistance for the family is there if requested or required.

The programme is currently used by 122 persons in Adeje who are affected in some way, in particular those with reduced economic resources and who need specialised care and attention. The overall aim of the programme is to improve the health and quality of life of those affected by any type of cancer. The offices are based in the Adeje department of health, (C/Tinerfe el Grande 32, Edificio de usos multiples, 1º floor), Monday to Friday, 8am – 3pm.

Also present at the signing of the agreement were AECC provincial president Juan Julio Fernández Rodríguez, director Carlota Cobo Hernández and Maria Dolores Sebares, a member of the executive committee of the association.

The AECC is a non-profit making private organisation with offices and representatives all over Spain. It works to raise funds for investment in research and offers help to those living with and fighting cancer.

The UK Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, was in Arona yesterday to address a public meeting on Brexit matters affecting British residents. The ambassador said the timing was opportune, given the fact that the British prime minister Theresa May had finalised a deal, approved by the EU 27, on the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. Manley also met with a group of Tenerife South mayors and councillors, and local business representatives, in advance of the public meeting, to talk to them about issues of relevance to them, considering the many thousands of Britons who live in their boroughs.

The Ambassador is in the Canary Islands for four days, visiting five islands, and yesterday morning also met the head of the Canarian government, and representatives of the Embassy’s social partners. Accompanying the mayor was the Consul for the South of Spain and the Canaries, Charmaine Arbouin, vice consul Helen Keating, and the consular staff who deal with British residents here on a daily basis.

During the public meeting the Ambassador sought to allay any worries people have about changes in status, pensions, and workers and business owners rights here in the Canary Islands. “Register, register, register” was Manley’s repeated call to residents, not just on the ‘padrón’ in local councils, but with the national police/foreigners office, adding that they were aware that the official numbers of Britons living in Spain didn’t reflect the reality. He told them that if they were registered as residents; “what the withdrawal treaty does, once it is ratified by the British Parliament and the European Parliament, is to put the guarantees set out in that treaty, your current rights as citizens here will then be embodied in international law. There can be no firmer basis for the protection of your rights…enabling you and your families to continue to live here in the manner in which you have lived here hitherto”.

One of the matters the Ambassador raised speaking to the mayors and authorities earlier, including the Arona mayor, José Julian Mena, Adeje mayor José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga and councillors Carmen Rosa González Cabrera, Ermitas Moreira García and Zebenzui Chinea Linares (Adeje) and David Perez (Arona), was the right to vote in local elections. While it is one of the few rights not currently guaranteed under the withdrawal treaty the Ambassador said talks with Spanish authorities were on-going and they hoped that UK citizens in Spain would be able to continue to participate in local politics here both as voters and candidates.

The Domitila Hernández Association for Equality of Opportunities, with the help of Adeje council, has organised the first ‘Miradas Violetas; prevention as fundamental for the eradication of gender violence’ event which will see professionals from many different areas come together on Thursday, November 29th in the CDTCA in Adeje.

“This event will bring to a close the programme of events that been running this month in the lead up to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25th)” said the Adeje councillor for equality Carmen Lucía Rodríguez del Toro, although, she added “we continue to work on a daily basis for the elimination of this form of violence, through different awareness-raising and community activities, assessments, individual sessions and early intervention, which is crucial in domestic violence situations, when we can offer specialised services in time”

She added, “in the fight against gender violence there are no truces nor cease-fires, and that’s whey we want to make society in general is active and aware of the matter, so that they can contribute and be a part of the solution, helping us detect vulnerable situations”.

The event, which runs from 9am to 8pm with a lunch-break, will see the participation of professionals and members of the public working in the field of prevention and action. It is geared for those involved in psychology, the law, sociology, social work, etc, as well as associations interested in the work being done in this area and individuals who feel they have something to contribute. It will be in Spanish (with sign language for those with hearing) and a creche for children of those attending (over 3 years old) from 4pm – 8pm.

If you are interested in taking part you can register on the council webpage, www.adeje.es, where you will also find more details about the talks and workshops on offer throughout the day.

Yesterday, Friday November 24th, a number of events took place in Adeje, with the participation of all of the boroughs who are members of the Tenerife South Equality Network, in advance of and to mark tomorrow’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

From 10am the Adeje Equality Council had a table at the door of the Town Hall where people could get information on how to deal with gender violence. At 12 midday a number of children from 6th class in Adeje Casco primary school read a manifesto they had co-written and then a minute’s silence was held to remember all those who have died as a result of gender violence.

Members of the Equality Council also read a declaration, outlining measures that need to be taken to deal with this scourge on our society. It spoke of the need for education in equality in schools, working to eliminate stereotypes in attitudes and behaviour, and making sure this and future generations have the tools to deal with the roots of domestic and gender violence.

Later on yesterday evening the Adeje council presented prizes to the winners in the VII Short Story competition where secondary school students from the borough were invited to write a story dealing with gender violence. Over 400 entries were received, some in English (this year the students were able to write in Spanish or English) and according to the jury, the standard of writing was extremely high. The overall winner was a student from 2nd year in the IES El Galeón secondary school, Lucía Johana Holguín Pérez. There were also prizes for a parallel art competition and the winner was Guacimara Hernández Afonso y Zachary Amone Quintero, 2 year Bachillerato students from the IES Los Olivos secondary school.

José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga: “This hotel opening signified a ‘before and after’ in the tourism model here and in the rest of the island”

The Adeje council, following a unanimous vote, this Tuesday awarded the borough’s Gold Medal to the Hotel Bahía del Duque, celebrating 25 years since it opened in 1993. The presentation was made by Adeje mayor José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga and accepted on behalf of the hotel by the president of the group, Francisco Javier Zamorano. Also present were the current director of the hotel Cristina de Juan and the seven workers who have been with the hotel since it first opened its doors.

The hotel was built in 1993 and that decision to construct a 5-star luxury hotel, in what was a period of economic uncertainty in the region, was seen as a brave one, a risk but one that marked a confidence in the tourism sector in Adeje and in the islands in general.

The mayor José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, on presenting the award, said that the hotel’s construction and philosophy marked a ‘before and after’, “not just for our borough but for the sector as a whole because it was our entry into the top level of tourism, the introduction of a new brand where the main goal was quality, something we have striven for in the 25 years since”. He also congratulated all the workers who have, over the years, contributed to the success of the hotel as well as the directors and owners, “who have consistently worked to introduce new tourism concepts, and created a school for staff training…to work in the Bahía del Duque has always been seen within the sector as a mark of professionalism and ensuring things are properly done”.

The president of the group said it was an honour for the hotel to receive the award. “When we began 25 years ago the idea was to create a destination which would stand out for its qualities of excellence and after a lot of work, dedication and perseverance, we have created a product that is synonymous with luxury, quality and personalisation in a unique setting without losing those traditional values that make us different. Thanks too to the institutions and public administrations such as the Adeje council who have supported us in every way possible”.

The hotel, designed by architect Andrés Piñeiro, opened with 346 rooms, 57 of those were suites, and 40 villas, and was an excellent reflection of Canarian architecture. It is acknowledged as the first luxury hotel to open in the Canary Islands and was also innovative in offering private villas with personalised steward services, as well as hotel rooms.

With 600 employees it boasts 5 pools, squash, padel and tennis courts, gyms, a lake, the Bahía Wellness Retreat and a biosphere with 63,000m2 of tropical and subtropical vegetation. From its inception it was seen as force to improve the local economy in the south of the island, and over the years has become an excellent resource for employment given the on-going staff training. And since 1993 many other hotels have copied the style to enhance the luxury offer in the south.

The Bahía del Duque is, today, a recognised standard bearer for good practise in the luxury hotel industry and experts have consistently named it as one of the best establishments of its kind in Europe. It has also won numerous prizes over the years, including the Conde Nast Johansen best hotel in the world in 2011, with various of the different installations also being recognised internationally for their quality.

World Toilet Day (Nov 19th) is no joke – according to the United Nations, “Worldwide, 4.5 billion people live without ‘safely managed sanitation’ and around 892 million people practise open defecation.” In partnership with local water company Entemanser the Adeje council have issued a short video and reminders of what should and should not be flushed down the toilet. It’s a reminder that what gets flushed down can, if not appropriate, cause blockages, and environmental harm.

A poster of the toilet ‘dos and don’ts’ has been posted on the doors of all the schools in the borough. According to councillor for municipal services, Carmen Rosa González Cabrera, “with these actions we are raising public awareness, reminding people that you can’t simply throw anything you want down the toilet. An accumulation of tissues and towels can cause blockages in communal pipe systems and have a huge environmental impact. It is up to each one of us to see that our use of home sanitation systems doesn’t contribute to a deterioration in our environment”.

Every day sanitation workers report an increasing amount of materials in the sanitation network that are causing contamination and blockages. These include wet wipes and towels, cotton buds and other materials that should never be flushed down the toilet. The cost of clearing wet wipes and towels alone costs between 50-100 million euros in Europe annually.

It’s not just these products that harm the environment – vegetable oils and grease, medicines and cosmetics, paints, and many other products flushed away are harming the environment as well as your pipes. Did you know it is estimated that one litre of oil can contaminate up to 1,000 litres of water.

The council is a member of the ABISUR collective which works to encourage borough bodies to get involved in helping families and children

Today, November 20th, is World Children’s Day and Adeje has been taking part in the preparation of a video (in Spanish) by ABISUR, an association which brings together municipal teams that work for and with families and children, to raise awareness and call, in a united voice, for more attention to be paid to the needs of children as well as recognising the work of those who do dedicate their time to ensuring that today’s children have a better future.

“Adeje, as an integral part of ABISUR, comes together with the other teams working with families in the boroughs of Tenerife south to commemorate World Children’s Day, producing this video which is a platform for the children from the different boroughs who were asked “if you had a huge megaphone and could say something really important to the world, as a child, what would you say?”, detailed the Adeje councillor responsible, Isabel Fernandez González. Some of the answers include a wish for adults to see the world through the eyes of children, that children don’t learn abuse at the hands of adults, that all kids have a home, a family, food and friends, and a roof.

“The primary goal of today is to highlight the needs of those children who are in a vulnerable situation, underline the rights of children, make people aware of the importance and need to work on a daily basis to guarantee children’s welfare and development”, outlined the councillor. “Today is a day to remember that all children have a right to health, education and protection regardless of where they were born, where they live”.

The Adeje council have a fully trained team working with children in the borough, with two social workers, three educators and two psychologists, whose principal mission is to guarantee the wellbeing and rights of children in Adeje, and be aware of their vulnerable position in some cases.

The video is online on the Ayuntamiento de Adeje webpage and facebook Spanish and English pages, or you can see it on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=51&v=JwFQHfGnaLo